The What’s On 4 Kids 2019 Awards are open for nominations!
We would love if you could spare a moment to nominate diddi dance as a company and put your reasons in the box provided by visiting here
What’s On 4 Kids UK – Children’s Activities, a site where you can search for local activities, classes, groups and events for kids, children and babies. You can find hundreds of fun things to do with your children and family.
We thank you for your continued support 🙂
Our very own Anne-Marie Martin, founder of diddi dance, is going to be sharing her story and experience of becoming one of the UK’s most successful and multi award winning franchisors in the children’s activities sector.
You can catch Anne-Marie speaking at the following events over the next couple of months:
5 February 2019 @ Space at 61, London SE15
8 March 2019 @ Mama Tribe for International Women’s Day
2 April 2019 @ Girl Tribe Gang monthly SE London group meet up, at St John The Unicorn Pub, London SE15
23 April 2019 @ MIBA South London, at Louie Louie Cafe, London SE17
Do come and join us if you’d like to hear more about Anne-Marie Martin’s journey to successful franchisor and mumpreneur. We’d love to see you there! As well as speaking at these events, Anne-Marie has also been invited along to a local secondary school to participate as a Dragon in their Dragons Den event in February.
The team at diddi dance, the brand behind the much loved preschool dance classes, are extremely proud to announce their franchise diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester has achieved Gold accreditation from the Children’s Activities Association (CAA). The CAA is the only not-for-profit, industry-led association to set and raise standards in all organised children’s activities across the UK and this achievement clearly showcases the team at diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester’s passion for excellence.
Set-up by leading industry experts in 2015, including diddi dance Founder Anne-Marie Martin, the establishment of the CAA (a Community Interest Company) has revolutionised the children’s activities sector. After Anne-Marie completed the accreditation process for diddi dance in 2016, she decided to offer the same accreditation to each diddi dance Franchise. This past month Anne-Marie & diddi dance were thrilled to personally accredit franchisee Liz Chisnall and her franchise diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester.
Over 200,000 children a week now attend a CAA member activity and it is a truly fantastic endorsement for diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester to be part of this ground-breaking national initiative. Liz’s commitment to achieving Gold for her franchise shows her dedication to demonstrate to her industry peers and her fellow diddi dance franchisees that she excels at what she does as well as giving her parents the reassurance they deserve when selecting the best classes for their little ones.
Liz took over the business for diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester in July 2017 and within her first year achieved both her Bronze & Silver CAA accreditations and now has an amazing 14 classes running throughout the area.
It is staggering to learn that before the CAA, there was no national, independent association in the UK for the children’s activity sector as a whole. Through the development of the CAA Code of Practice and via their thorough accreditation, for the first time, parents can now easily make simple, informed decisions when choosing from the wealth of children’s activities out there. Just by asking whether the provider is a CAA member, a parent or carer can get reassurance on important issues such as insurance, health and safety, criminal record c
hecks, training, qualifications, class content and much more.
As one parent said regarding the CAA –
With so many clubs and classes to choose from it’s so hard to know which are the best and what I should be asking when I leave my children in the care of a class leader. In the past I just wrongly assumed kids’ activities must have to be regulated. Knowing that the CAA has asked those important questions to help keep my child safe is fantastic – so now I just look for their logo!”
Having achieved Gold CAA accreditation means that diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester has been independently verified as having met or exceeded all the necessary elements of the CAA Code of Practice. This accomplishment offers parents peace of mind when selecting an activity from the myriad of providers out there.
Anne-Marie, commented on the accreditation process and Liz’s success:
“Using the CAA accreditation system to ensure all our franchisees are performing to not only our high standards but also a nationally recognised association too is so important to us. It’s fantastic seeing our fifth franchise gain gold accreditation. Having only taken this franchise over a year ago, it’s fantastic to see the turnaround Liz has given it. She is truly deserving of her gold accreditation as she is running a brilliant franchise.”
Adding to this Liz of diddi dance SE Hampshire and Chichester said:
“I’m so pleased to receive my Gold Children’s Activities Association Accreditation, I hope it gives our parents and carers confidence that our classes are run to the very highest standards, as well as being brilliant fun. As a business owner, it makes me proud to know that our classes have been externally checked and have received GOLD accreditation status.”
diddi dance Franchisee Liz who runs diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester recently became the 5th diddi dance franchise to be fully accredited by the Children’s Activity Association. To read all about her recent achievement just click here.
Because of this success, we at diddi dance wanted to take the time to tell you all about Liz and diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester here!
How long have you been with diddi dance?
One year.
What did you do before joining diddi dance?
I worked in PR.
What do you love m
ost about diddi dance and running your own business?
“The flexibility to do a job I love that fits in with my life and home commitments.
What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of diddi dance?
Being able to have such fun with the children each week!
What has been a highlight for you since taking on your diddi dance?
I love going to our diddi dance conferences, learning more form our head office team and the other franchisees we’re lucky to have such a supportive network!
What is something you are looking forward to as you continue with your diddi dance franchise?
“I’m really looking forward to being able to share diddi dance with more children we’re growing our classes and preschool sessions all the time so we can encourage ore pre-schoolers to get up and moving – aiming to encourage health
y habits for life!
What do you enjoy most about your diddi dance?
I love seeing the children gain in confidence, learn to do something they couldn’t do last week and sharing their fun and excitement.
What do you enjoy most about being your own Boss?
The flexibility to make sure I’m there for my children when they need me!
What does the CAA accreditation mean to you?
I’m so proud to be Gold accredited with the CAA running my own business is new to me but I’m so pleased to have these guidelines to follow tot know we’re offering our families the best possible class.
And finally, what is your favourite diddi dance theme and why?
I love the disco dance we’ve just finished it’s so fun and the music has such a catchy beat!
diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester currently has multiple classes running across their exclusive area. They are as follows:
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
To attend any of the above classes or to express interest in having a FREE trial get in touch with diddi dance SE Hampshire & Chichester! You can email them on liz.chisnalldiddidance.com, call 07855 412837, message them on Facebook at @diddidanceSEHantsandChi or fill in her free enquiry form by clicking here.
diddi dance are excited to announce we’ve been nominated for the Club Hub Awards 2019 in the following categories:
Franchise of the Year
Leader of the Year
Club Hub is an award winning kids directory on children’s activities all over the UK and these awards celebrate the UK’s best children’s clubs and classes, along with leaders and volunteers, party providers, places and activity-based products for children – as nominated and voted for by the experts – parents, carers and parents-to-be.
The more nominations we receive the more likely we are to become a finalist so if you can spare a minute please nominate us then wish us luck 
We are thrilled with the news that this year we have been awarded Best Early Childhood Dance Classes. The 2018 UK Enterprise Awards showcase the very best businesses from across the UK’s corporate landscape.
Jessie Wilson, Awards Coordinator, discusses the success of this year’s programme:
“UK based enterprises are renowned for their diversity and ability to progress through tough times. As we turn our backs on the recession it is now more important than ever to seek out hard working, innovative and diverse business owners and offer them a platform to further succeed, and as such it is my pleasure to announce the publication of this year’s awards. Congratulations to all of my winners; you have each exhibited determination, passion and a will to succeed which I hope continues into the future.”
Founder of diddi dance, Anne-Marie, said of the win:
“At diddi dance we are really honoured to have won this award. It always makes us feel proud to gain industry recognition for our business. I feel the reason for our success is down to our passion. Not only do we love working with children, and seeing them develop, but also being able to offer other individuals a flexible working opporutnity
SME News prides itself on the validity of its awards and winners. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend those most deserving for their ingenuity and hard work, distinguishing them from their competitors and proving them worthy of recognition.
See all the other deserving winners in the winners supplement and find us on pg 70 or read our feature below.
Earlier this month, 30 June & 1 July, diddi dance held its annual Conference where all franchisees come together to network, share best practice and take part in workshops & listen to presentations from industry experts to help them better their diddi dance business.
A highlight of the conference for founder Anne-Marie, and we think the rest of the diddi dance network, is the diddi dance Awards which recognise those franchisees that are excelling in certain aspects of the business. Both a winner and highly commended are given in each award and here they are:
Anne-Marie commented on the awards:
We love doing our annual awards recognising those franchisees in our network that go above and beyond with their diddi dance. We find motivation and inspiration our fun awards invoke is of great benefit to the all the franchisees and really helps them drive their business over the next year. We can’t wait to see who wins next year!
diddi debutante for the fastest growing franchise from a franchisee who launched in 2017 (based upon overall business growth):
Highly Commended – Tatiana from diddi dance Oxford & Surrounding
Winner – Wendy from diddi dance South Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Ayr & Surrounding
diddi developer for the franchisee who has taken over a territory (through resale or transfer) and developed the business in all aspects:
Winner – Liz C from diddi dance South East Hampshire & Chichester
diddi diva for the biggest growth by a franchisee from June 2017 to May 2018:
Highly Commended – Anuschka from diddi dance North London
Winner – Emily from diddi dance Bristol
diddi dancer for the most enthusiastic and “en pointe” teacher as nominated by their franchisee:
Higly Commended – Sacha, who teaches for Emily from diddi dance Bristol
Winner – Natalie, who teaches for Lisa J from diddi dance West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, Tadley & Marlow
diddi discusser for the franchisee fully utilising and actively using social media & online resources to their best ability:
Winner – Lisa J from diddi dance West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, Tadley & Marlow
diddi doer for the franchisee with most innovative marketing & promotions:
Highly Commended – Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk
Winner – Caroline from diddi dance Swindon, Cirencester, Chippenham, Tetbury & Surrounding
diddi driver for the most motivated and driven franchisee doing their best to drive and progress their business:
Highly Commended – Julia from diddi dance North & Central Leeds
Winner – Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk
diddi dude for the franchisee that is most supportive and active amongst the network – as voted for by the other franchisees:
Highly Commended – Emily from diddi dance Bristol
Winner – Julia from diddi dance North & Central Leeds
diddi deliverer, a new award this year, for the franchisee who is running the best business overall:
Highly Commended – Emily from diddi dance Bristol
Winner – Emma H from diddi dance North Shropshire, Wrexham & North West Stoke-on-Trent
Winner – Nicola B from diddi dance Lancester, Preston & Kendal
diddi dance Lancatser, Preston & Kendal will be running the following, which all can be booked online:
diddi dance York, Ryedale, Selby & Surrounding will be running the following taster sessions over the summer before they launch in September. Contact Hayley for more informatin or to book a place:
diddi dance North & Central Leeds will be running the following, all of which can be booked online:
diddi dance Wirral will be running the following classes at £5.50 per session either pay as you go or can book in block through website! Siblings younger and older welcome if joining in must pay:
diddi dance Chester & North Wales will be running the following classes:
diddi dance Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire & Stafford will be running the following, all of which can be booked online:
diddi dance Loughborough, Hinckley, Oadby & Surrounding will be running the following at £5 per session, all of which can be booked online:
diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk will be running the following sessions over the summer:
diddi dance Reading & Wokingham will be running the following classes, which all start at 10am. All classes should be booked online in advanced and are £6 per child (£3 for siblings):
diddi dance Bristol will be running the following classes, which can be booked online:
diddi dance Harrow & North Hillingdon will be running all the following classes at £7 per child, which can be booked online:
diddi dance North London will be running all the following classes:
diddi dance South East London will be running all the following classes:
diddi dance Richmond Upon Thames will be running all the following classes:
diddi dance Brighton, Worthing & Horsham will be running at one location over the summer, £6.50 when booked via the website or £7.50 drop-in:
diddi dance Plymouth & Surrounding will be running the following classes, all of which can be booked online:
To celebrate diddi dance turning 15 this year, as part of our Party Week we will be running 3 competitions on our national Facebook, Twitter & Instagram pages!This is your chance to win…
To enter simply upload an image of your diddi dancer in their party attire or enjoying our party classes onto the above-mentioned platforms/pages tagging diddi dance and using our birthday hashtags – #diddidance15 & #HappyBirthdaydiddidance to be in with a chance to win! 3 winners will be picked at random from all entrants – 1 on each platform. Entries will be accepted from 4th June to 10th June with the winners being announced on each platform on 11th June as part of #diddidanceroftheweek.
Competition Terms & Conditions
diddi dance are excited to say we are nominated for two What’s On 4 Kids Awards 2018!
Best Franchised/Licensed Pre-Schooler Activity – 15 to 50 franchisees/licensees
Best Franchised/Licenced Children’s Party Entertainment or Supplier
These awards celebrate the UK’s best children’s clubs and classes, along with leaders and volunteers, party providers, places and activity-based products for children – as nominated and voted for by the experts – parents, carers and parents-to-be.
If you can spare a minute please vote for us then wish us luck for a win!
